Sinethemba Dleke, a competitor for Mr. South Africa 2021, is at the center of a fraud scandal after he was charged with stealing money from investors and abandoning them.
About 292 people, according to SowetanLive, put their hard-earned money into Dleke’s agricultural stokvel, SD Farmlink, but they have not received any returns.
SINETHEMBA DLEKE INCLUDES COMMENTS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
Sinethemba Dleke’s farming stokvel began in 2020, and it grew after he won Mr. South Africa the following year.
Several online users have criticized the Eastern Cape resident for allegedly stealing their money on Facebook.
“I never imagined being conned in my life.
This time, I made a mistake in judgment. Doesn’t it seem quite authentic?
Asithandile Qekeka reported SD Farmlink’s account as fraudulent on July 20.
“Their accounts have been frozen,” she stated.
“He isn’t responding to my WhatsApp messages or emails. He has disabled comments on his posts.
According to SowetanLive, a woman received an R200 000 loan for Dleke’s farming stokvel.
“This has negatively impacted me. I need all the money I can get as a new mother.
All I want is my money back.
RESPONSE FROM MR. SOUTH AFRICA
Sinethemba Dleke has been charged with fraud, and the Mr. South Africa organization has disassociated itself from the incident.
We regret that we are unable to comment on Dleke.
He didn’t advance to a stage when we interact more closely with contestants.
“We are learning about these [fraud allegations] even though he is no longer in our rivalry.
Sadly, under these conditions, we wouldn’t have had any way to look for, anticipate, or run a background check on someone similar while he was in our competition.
A “ONE-SIDED STORY”
When asked for a comment on the purported scandal, Sinethemba Dleke declined.
“You may publish that biased story.
I’ll offer someone else a thorough explanation complete with facts, proof, and both sides of the story, he said to SowetanLive.